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HOST: In public health, we use health communication
and marketing strategies to try to influence behavior change.
In this Quick Learn video, Alexis will explain what
the difference is between health communication and marketing
and how the two can help you
in your diabetes behavior change activities.
ALEXIS: Health communication looks at ways to persuade people
to change their behavior, and it can be a variety of techniques
like public relations, media, public awareness campaigns,
interpersonal communication like peer counseling.
HOST: How is health marketing related to health communication?
ALEXIS: Marketing looks at many different factors
to help shape behavior such as where people can go to
engage in their behavior, environmental barriers
to the behavior, the cost of the behavior, and it
tries to make the behavior as easy as possible
for people to do.
HOST: So, you’re saying that,
in addition to using communication strategies,
health marketing addresses other factors
that support healthy behaviors.
But how do you know whether to choose a health communication
or a health marketing approach?
ALEXIS: So, say the goal of your program is
to increase the number of people with diabetes who get their
annual flu shot and you’re in a community where
flu shots are pretty much everywhere.
You can get them at work, you can get them
at the grocery store, you can get them at health fairs.
They’re pretty easy to get.
It’s one time of year during flu season
and people pretty much know what a flu shot is.
You can use health communication to remind people
to go get their flu shot, remind them of the benefits,
remind them of the risk of having diabetes
and not getting your flu shot.
Communication is a great way to remind people
once a year or during flu season
to go get their flu shot.
On the other hand, say your program goal is to
reduce the number of people with type 2 diabetes by
increasing access to diabetes prevention programs.
Well, that’s a much more complex issue.
So first you have to get people to understand their risk,
understand what it is, you have to get them to go get tested,
you have to get doctors to test, and then you have to get
doctors to refer, you have to get community based programs to
offer the program, then you have to get people to register
for a program and then go to a program.
It involves many more audiences,
many more issues, and what marketing does,
it helps you look at the whole landscape of
what it’s going to take to actually change behavior
and come up with coordinated approaches,
not just communication, but coordinated approaches that
bring all of that together and create an environment where
going to that program
is the easy choice for people to make.
HOST: Clearly, health communication and marketing
are more than running a few ads or handing out some brochures.
I can see why it’s important to have a coordinated plan.
Without one, it will be hard to know which direction to take
to accomplish your program goals and objectives.
ALEXIS: Having a planned approach to marketing
and communication means that you deliver the right message to the
right people at the right time and in the right amount.
The plan helps you track and evaluate that you’re
getting where you need to go.
If you don’t have a plan in place, then
you have no way of knowing if you’re making progress towards
reaching your program goals and objectives.
HOST: And where can you turn for more help?
You can use the National Diabetes Education Program’s
Health Communication and Marketing Toolkit.
It helps you create effective health communication
and marketing plans and shows you how to manage your team
and guide them to success! 79 00:04:04,144 --> 00:00:00,000 [MUSIC]